法苑珠林 4.54

4.54

依長阿含經云。劫初長成時天地大闇。有大黑風吹大海水。開取日以照天下。著須彌半安日道中。行旋繞四天下照燭眾生。又起世經云。爾時世間便成黑暗。是時忽然出生日月及諸星宿。便有晝夜年歲時節。爾時日天昇大宮殿。從東方出繞須彌山半腹而行於西方。沒已還從東出。爾時眾生復見日天從東方出。各相告言。諸仁者。還是日天光明宮殿。再從東出。右繞須彌當於西沒。第三見已亦相語言。是天光明流行此也。故有如是名字出。又智度論云。日月方圓五百由旬。而今所見不過如扇。處處經云。佛語阿難。人眼所見。知四十二萬由旬人眼所見。又立世阿毘曇云。云何為夜。云何為晝。因日故夜。因日故晝。欲界者自性黑暗。日光隱故。是則為夜。日光顯故。是則為晝。又起世經云。佛告諸比丘。若閻浮洲日正中時。弗婆提洲日則始沒。瞿耶尼洲日則初出。欝單越洲正當半夜。若瞿耶尼洲日正中時。此閻浮洲日則始沒。欝單越洲日則初出。弗婆提洲正當半夜。若欝單越洲日正中時。瞿耶尼洲日則始沒。弗婆提洲日則始出。閻浮洲中正當半夜。若弗婆提洲日正中時。欝單越洲日則始沒。閻浮洲中日則初出。瞿耶尼洲正當半夜。

According to the Dīrgha Āgama: "At the beginning of the kalpa, when [the world] was forming, heaven and earth were in great darkness. A great black wind blew upon the waters of the great ocean, opening them up to take the sun to illuminate all under heaven, placing it halfway up Sumeru on the path of the sun. It travels, revolving around the four continents under heaven, illuminating sentient beings." Also, the Qishi jing states: "At that time the world became dark. Then, suddenly, the sun, moon, and various stars and constellations were born, and there were day, night, years, and seasons. At that time the Sun Deva ascended his great palace, emerging from the east and traveling around the waist of Mount Sumeru; after setting in the west, he emerged again from the east. At that time, sentient beings saw the Sun Deva emerging from the east again, and told one another: 'Good sirs, this is indeed the radiant palace of the Sun Deva emerging again from the east. Circling clockwise around Sumeru, it will set in the west.' Having seen it a third time, they also said to one another: 'This is the deva's radiance moving through here.' Hence such names arose." Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: "The sun and moon are five hundred yojanas in square and roundness, yet what is seen now is no larger than a fan." Sūtras in various places state that the Buddha said to Ānanda: "What the human eye sees can know four hundred and twenty thousand yojanas." Furthermore, the Lokasthitābhidharma-śāstra states: "What is night? What is day? Because of the sun, there is night; because of the sun, there is day. The Desire Realm is dark by its own nature; because the sun's light is concealed, that is night; because the sun's light is revealed, that is day." Furthermore, the Qishi jing states: The Buddha told the monks, "When the sun is at midday in Jambudvīpa, the sun is just setting in Pūrvavideha, just rising in Aparagodānīya, and it is precisely midnight in Uttarakuru. When the sun is at midday in Aparagodānīya, the sun is just setting here in Jambudvīpa, just rising in Uttarakuru, and it is precisely midnight in Pūrvavideha. When the sun is at midday in Uttarakuru, the sun is just setting in Aparagodānīya, just rising in Pūrvavideha, and it is precisely midnight in Jambudvīpa. When the sun is at midday in Pūrvavideha, the sun is just setting in Uttarakuru, just rising in Jambudvīpa, and it is precisely midnight in Aparagodānīya."